Tractor suggestions wanted

[mrbigtexan]

we have an old super m on propane, it's no show tractor but cool in it's own way. we plow about 5 acres up with it to plant wheat for our cattle. other than that we blade roads and mow with it mostly. have knocked down some dead trees with it. the drawback to it is when mowing, you have to let the pto wind down to shift gears and it is almost to big to manuever around trees. it is also almost to big to clean out stalls. it has been really dependable as it has had no real maintenance in along time. the plug wires are even cracking and it still doesn't turn over more than 5 times before firing up after sitting for 2 or 3 months.

[Cornbelt]

Haven't seen it mentioned, but I haven't ever liked 3cyl tractors. Have used a couple Fords and Massey and neither had stamina. Had an old 60 JD w/just a 2 banger and have used a modern AC deisel w/2 cyls which I liked a lot better. Maybe is isn't the number of cyls, but I've never liked 3 cyl tractors much.

[SHOOTALL]

3 Cyl fords have made great backhoe/loader equipped tractors . They had plenty of power and saved fuel . Most were 555 Fords or New Hollands not compacts . We ran them for years can't remember and engine failures .

[Rex in OTZ]

Are you Looking for a light duty around the place hobby tractor with all the baby scratchers and diggers?
If your doing farming get a farm tractor "sounds like your doing plots" thats farming just for a different purpose, ther's allot of used farm tractors out there that will fill the bill, you want hydraulics and live power get somthing starting in the 1950's and up to today, for plot farming thers no need to get a $120K 4x4 cabbed jobbie, some the Olivers,Allischalmers,Ford, IH/Farmall, John Deer, Cockshutt,Minnieapolis Moline 25- 60 hp can be had at pretty decent prices, diesels or gasoline (My personal favorites were the 460 Farmall and the 3010 John Deer) Google up used farm tractor's and they useally have catagorys of sizes (horsepower) and brands

[mauser98us]

Mike still in Arizona. I have a tractor business for 25 years. I have used masseys exclusively. The perkins moter is the best small diesel and the massey lift system is and always has been the best I makne my living off these tractors and the breakdown rate if machine is maintained is almost non existant. Go with a good used massey

[Drilling Man]

Mike still in Arizona. I have a tractor business for 25 years. I have used masseys exclusively. The perkins moter is the best small diesel and the massey lift system is and always has been the best I makne my living off these tractors and the breakdown rate if machine is maintained is almost non existant. Go with a good used massey

  I make my living with tractors too, as in using them...

  I bet there's a lot of Massey/Perkins owners that wish they could agree with you...  How about all those Perkins powered Landini 85F's that had cams go bad?  My dealer had to replace the cams in every one he sold, and many of them were out of warr..   

  Massey has had there problems over the year too, just like every other brand.  Some Massey models are "generally" pretty good no frills horses, but others have there problems too.

  There are NO trouble free makes of tractors, and when it comes to older tractors, it's all about how it was used and taken care of, and hopefully it was a decent model to begin with...

  DM

[mauser98us]

Well Iv'e bought 12 new masseys and worked them to death in this Arizona rock and all have been great,Maybee I been lucky

[Jay, Tx]

The "N" series tractors are some old workhorses. Once you get one running right, you can't hardly hurt it. They're about as basic as the internal combustion engine can get, and parts are available for them everywhere and very cheap. One little 100 +/- page service manual (F-04) covers repairs on every part of the tractor.

I just inherited a '52 8N from my father. It smoked like a freight train. Would actually run out of oil before gas. I tore it down in the garage, ordered the parts online and rebuilt the engine myself. Found some rod bearings dated '79 in it, so it had been 30 years since the last rebuild. I did an in-frame overhaul, at a cost of around $500. That included getting a new carb for it too. Now she runs like a top, and works like two pissed off mules. Still using the old 6 volt generator system, and points. Starts in less than two full revolutions. And I know the points in there now are over 3yrs old because I changed them for my dad last time it was done.

The N's are some great old pieces of history. I bet Henry never thought so many of them would still be in regular use 60yrs later.

I've driven newer tractors, and you bet they're nice. Hydrastatic drive, cruise control, power steering, 4wd, nice cushy seats, etc. But you definitely pay for those features. I figure another rebuild for the old ford when I'm 65-70 years old and it'll all be money well spent.

The N's down here can be gotten for around $2500 (nicer specimens). But they're everywhere down here. Not sure about your neck of the woods.

[azmike]

The N's are little more than that around here. 

I ended up with a Yanmar FX255 with 5' loader and backblade.  Used it last winter to plow my large driveway and the .3 miles of private road that the county won't touch.  This thing goes like heck.  We had an exceptionally heavy snow year form what the oldtimers up here tell me, and that gray market machine was a godsend.  Admittedly, parts are gonna be a little more of a scavenger hunt to find, but the fast is, I'm going to need another, larger tractor once we get built on the acreage we bought, so it's a temporary member of the stable.

[skarke]

I was once looking for some land, before the world ended as we knew it, and was considering a tractor.  I saw several brands with multi tool kits and tractors for about 15K.  Seemed like a pretty good deal, in that they came with warranties, readily available parts, etc.

But, for most of us mortals, 15k is a bunch of money, especially now.